Course 424

Group Representations IIa

Dr Timothy Murphy
Room WR3.8

Wednesday, 30 April 2003

15:1516:45

Attempt 5 questions. (If you attempt more, only the best 5 will
be counted.) All questions carry the same number of marks.
All representations are finite-dimensional over C, unless otherwise stated.
1. What is meant by a measure on a compact space X? What is meant
by saying that a measure on a compact group G is invariant? Sketch
the proof that every compact group G carries such a measure. To what
extent is this measure unique?
2. Prove that every simple representation of a compact abelian group is
1-dimensional and unitary.
Determine the simple representations of SO(2).
Determine also the simple representations of O(2).
3. Determine the conjugacy classes in SU(2); and prove that this group
has just one simple representation of each dimension.
Find the character of the representation D(j) of dimensions 2j + 1
(where j = 0, 21 , 1, 23 , . . . ).
Determine the representation-ring of SU(2), ie express each product
D(i)D(j) as a sum of simple representations D(k).

4. Show that there exists a surjective homomorphism

: SU(2) SO(3)
with finite kernel.
Hence or otherwise determine all simple representations of SO(3).
Determine also all simple representations of O(3).
5. Explain the division of simple representations of a finite or compact
group G over C into real, essentially complex and quaternionic. Give
an example of each (justifying your answers).
Show that if is a simple representation with character then the
value of
Z
(g 2 ) dg
G

determines which of these three types falls into.

6. Define the representation of the product-group G H, where
is a representation of G, and of H.
Show that if G and H are finite then is simple if and only if
both and are simple; and show that every simple representation of
G H is of this form.
Show that the symmetry group G of a cube is expressible as a productgroup
G = C2 S4 .
Let denote the 4-dimensional representation of G defined by its action
on the 4 diagonals of the cube. Express in the form
= 1 1 + + r r ,
where 1 , . . . , r are simple representations of C2 , and 1 , . . . , r are
simple representations of S4 .